Spill affected flora, fauna, says Minister

By Express News Service |
Published: 21st March 2017 02:03 AM |

Last Updated: 21st March 2017 02:03 AM | A+A A- |

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NEW DELHI: The Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon (TPH) in sea water increased due to the oil spill in Chennai and the rocky shore and flora and fauna close to the spill area were directly hir, the Union government said in Parliament on Monday.

Environment Minister Anil Madhav Dave in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha said that Mollusc species such as mussels and Rock Oyster were found to be clogged with oil. “Crabs, star gazer fishes and Olive Ridleys were also affected.

Death of star gazer fishes and Olive Ridley Turtles and loss of bivalve species; mostly green mussel and Rock Oyster was also reported,” he said.

He said that the government is aware of the likely threat to marine life resulting from the Chennai oil spill and a impact analysis of oil spill on marine life was carried out by the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM), Chennai under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

The minister further said that the cleanup operations have led to the recovery of marine life and the crab species found in burrows have reappeared on beaches.